UNESCO World Heritage Sites are chosen based on their
outstanding value to humanity and at least one of ten
additional criteria. whc.unesco.org/en/criteria

Why sofa sojourns? There are several reasons for
traveling from the comfort of your sofa. These visual
forays allow us to explore places around the world,
reminisce about former trips, learn about new ones and
plan for the time when we can all travel again.
Additionally, these edutourism adventures are a great
learning tool for use in homeschooling. Based on the
listed sites you can develop lessons and take virtual
field trips. Many of the locations have a link for
teaching materials to enhance the learning experience.

Google Expedition

Google Expeditions was designed to create an
immersive experience that easily blends with classroom
activities. There are more than 900 VR expeditions from
which to choose and all materials needed to embark on
these sojourns are listed on the website.

The Pyramids of Egypt
openculture.com/2020/03/take-a-3d-tour-through-ancient-giza-including-the-great-pyramids-the-sphinx-more.html

The Great Pyramid, Khufu’s Pyramid, was the
culmination of 400-years of development of construction
technique. The earliest form of pyramid was a
box-shaped, smooth-sided mud brick tomb (mastaba) built
circa 3000 B.C. The Great Pyramid, situated on the Giza
Plateau, consists of over 2-million stone blocks
weighing from 2.5 to 15-ton base stones. The greatest
difference in length of the 4 sides is 2-inches. It was
a royal tomb built in the belief that the spirit of the
pharaoh would ascend to the after-life from the
pyramid’s apex. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World to survive and in 1979 was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Sphinx

The Sphinx was constructed around 2500 B.C. It is
66-ft. high and was carved from the natural stone with
rocks added around the base. It faces the rising sun and
is 20-ft. in length. A temple is between its paws and
bits of the original color can be seen near one ear. The
nose was removed around the 8th-century and the royal
beard is now in the British Museum.

The 620 by 513-ft. Roman Coliseum was completed
around 70 CE and was financed by the Flavian emperors.
It was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater but
it is believed it became commonly recognized as the
Coliseum because it was located near a colossal statue
of Emperor Nero. The opening games were 100 days long
and were overseen by Emperor Titus. The amphitheater was
located adjacent to a ludus, a gladiator training school
with passages that led to the arena. Animal and human
contests were held and it is estimated that 1-million
animals were killed in the arena. Animals were admitted
through 30 trap doors. Up to 70,000 people were issued
pottery tickets for the free games, paid for by the
wealthy or the emperor. The emperor had a special box,
slaves stood and others were seated by class. There were
internal corridors and 80 arched entrances facilitating
a 10-minute clearance of the entire arena. Listed as a
UNESCO site in 1980.

The Tower of London
youvisit.com/tour/meadk/107254

William the Conqueror began work on the Tower of
London in 1077 and completed it 20-years later. Erected
to guard the entrance to London, It was a wooden
fortress until it was replaced by stone. The 18-acre
complex has functioned as several things including a
royal residence and prison for enemies of the state. The
most visited sites are Traitor’s Gate, the Crown Jewels,
The Tower Ravens and the Tower Green. The Traitor’s Gate
was where prisoners were brought by boat. The Crown
Jewels include the 530-carat Star of Africa, the world’s
largest diamond, as part of the Royal Sceptre.
Legendarily a minimum of six ravens are tended by a
Beefeater, the Ravenmaster. It is said that should they
desert the tower the kingdom will fall. The Tower Green
was the site of royal executions, among them, Queens
Anne Boleyn(1536) and Catherine Howard(1542) and Sir
Thomas More (1534). Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in
the tower from 1603-1605. The Tower was inscribed by
UNESCO in 1988.

The Island of Gorée in Africa
youtube.com/watch?v=-F8onkJcM0Q

Gorée Island was discovered in 1444 by Denis
Dias. Situated just 2.2-miles off Senegal’s coast, the
69-acre island provided an accessible harbor and was
strategically located between the continents and from
1536 until 1848 was the largest slave-trading center on
the African Coast. During those years control passed
from one European nation, Portuguese, French, English
and Dutch, to another. Documents prove that from 1763-75
over 103,000 Africans were transported from Gorée,
giving some indication of how many Africans were taken
from the area. The only remaining House of Slaves was
constructed by the Dutch in 1776. The top floor was
living and working space for the Europeans and the lower
level was used to house slaves in crowded conditions.
Slaves wore 11-lb manacles to hamper any runaways and
ensure that they would drown if they attempted to escape
by sea. Young women were confined to a cell where
traders chose among them for their sexual pleasure.
Other rooms housed men, women and children with a small
dark room for the rebellious among them. The House of
Slaves Museum is dedicated to interpreting the African
experience as a captive. The Door of No Return is the
major attraction. The enslaved were funneled through the
door to waiting boats for the voyage that would separate
them from their family, their home and their country.
The island has been a UNESCO site since 1978.

Renee Gordon has written a weekly travel column for
the Philadelphia Sun Newspaper for the past fifteen
years and has published articles on local, national and
international travel in numerous publications. Her
columns focus on cultural, historic and heritage tourism
and her areas of specialization are sites and
attractions related to African American and African
Diaspora history. Renee has been a guest radio
commentator on various aspects of tourism and appeared
in a documentary, "The Red Summer of 1919". As an
educator for thirty years she was an English teacher,
event and meeting planner, served as an educational
consultant and intern-teacher mentor. She contributed to
textbooks on women's history and classroom management
and has facilitated workshops on both subjects. Renee
considers herself a "missionary journalist" and as such
she continues to promote heritage and sustainable
tourism.

American Roads and
Global Highways has so many great articles you
may want to search it for your favorite places
or new exciting destinations.

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